January 22nd, 2026
by Pastor Mykal Smith
by Pastor Mykal Smith
When God Breathes Direction into Your Drifting Life
The calendar flips to a new year with such promise. We make declarations, set goals, sketch out ambitious plans. Yet somehow, by mid-January, many of us find ourselves already adrift—floating through our days without the intentionality we promised ourselves just weeks ago. The enemy whispers the same ancient lie he told Eve in the garden: "You will not certainly die." We live as though time is infinite, as though this year won't end, as though we have unlimited opportunities to get it right.
But here's the truth that changes everything: this year has an expiration date. It will end faster than you think. And when something has an ending, it matters.
The Pneuma of God
Throughout Scripture, the Holy Spirit is described in vivid imagery—oil, fire, and most prominently, wind. The Greek word pneuma literally means the breath or wind of God. In Hebrew, the word itself evokes the sensation of movement, of air rushing past, of power in motion. This is no abstract theological concept. The Holy Spirit is the active agent of the Trinity working on earth right now, doing two primary things: drawing people to Jesus and empowering believers to live the abundant life God has designed for them.
John 3:8 captures this beautifully: "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." The wind moves according to its own will, not ours. Our task isn't to control it but to position ourselves to catch it—to align our lives with the movement of God's Spirit.
The Parachute in the Storm
Consider this remarkable story: A small aircraft carrying three passengers experienced complete engine failure while flying over Lake Michigan—miles from shore, thousands of feet in the air. The pilot pulled the emergency parachute, and the plane floated down toward the frigid waters below. When rescue crews finally located them, they discovered something extraordinary. The parachute, still inflated by the strong winds over the lake, was pulling upward on the plane, keeping it from sinking. At the exact moment the wind could no longer hold the plane above water, the rescue boat arrived. All three passengers were saved without a scratch.
Some of us entered this year feeling exactly like that—engine failure, emergency descent, sinking fast. But the wind of God can fill the parachute of your life right now. He can keep you from going under. And at just the right moment, He will lift you out of whatever mess you're in.
The Drift and the Vision
Research tells us that only 8-9% of people actually achieve their New Year's goals. Why such a dismal success rate? Because resolutions focus on behavior modification, but our real issue is a matter of the heart. Proverbs 29:18 reveals the secret: "Where there is no prophetic vision, the people cast off restraint." Without supernatural, Spirit-breathed vision for our lives, we simply drift wherever culture, circumstances, or our feelings take us.
James addresses this tendency directly: "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes" (James 4:13-15).
But James doesn't leave us there. He offers the solution: "Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'"
Instead.
What a powerful word. Instead of drifting, instead of controlling, instead of assuming—ask God what He wants and then do that. Find out what the Lord wills for your life and align yourself with it. This is how you stop drifting. This is how you catch the wind.
The Daily Encounter
Spirit-led vision isn't a one-time event. It requires a daily encounter with the breath of God. Just as someone committed to health might weigh in every day to track progress and maintain accountability, we need a daily connection with the Holy Spirit to maintain our spiritual trajectory.
Paul understood this. He wrote to the Philippians: "I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God through Christ Jesus is calling us" (Philippians 3:13-14).
Notice that Paul says God is calling us. Present tense. Continuous action. Every day, the Spirit is saying, "Come on, let's keep going. This way. Let's keep pursuing holiness. Let's refine this. Let's work on that."
The Questions That Matter
If you want to experience the fullness of what God has for you this year, you need to wrestle with some essential questions:
Ask God. Listen. And then... Write It Down, Pray It Daily, Share It!
When God speaks vision into your life, Habakkuk 2:2 instructs: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it." Don't try to sound spiritual or eloquent. Just capture what God says. Then pray it daily. And share it with someone who can provide accountability.
Consider four areas where God might be directing you:
The Windshield and the Rearview Mirror
There's a reason your car's windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror. You're meant to look forward, not backward. Some people spend their entire lives contorted, straining to see clearly through that tiny rearview mirror, trying to navigate forward while fixated on the past.
The wind of God wants to fill your sails and propel you forward. But you have to turn around. You have to look through the windshield and ask, "God, where are we going? What's next?"
Time Is Not Infinite. The enemy wants you to believe you have all the time in the world. But the truth is, this year will end. Your life is a mist that appears for a moment and then vanishes. That's not depressing—it's clarifying. When something has limits, it matters. Every day matters. Every decision matters.
Don't waste another year drifting. Open the sails of your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to breathe His direction, His clarity, His power into every area of your existence. Let Him fill you with His wind.
The breath of God is available to you today. Right now. Will you catch it?
The calendar flips to a new year with such promise. We make declarations, set goals, sketch out ambitious plans. Yet somehow, by mid-January, many of us find ourselves already adrift—floating through our days without the intentionality we promised ourselves just weeks ago. The enemy whispers the same ancient lie he told Eve in the garden: "You will not certainly die." We live as though time is infinite, as though this year won't end, as though we have unlimited opportunities to get it right.
But here's the truth that changes everything: this year has an expiration date. It will end faster than you think. And when something has an ending, it matters.
The Pneuma of God
Throughout Scripture, the Holy Spirit is described in vivid imagery—oil, fire, and most prominently, wind. The Greek word pneuma literally means the breath or wind of God. In Hebrew, the word itself evokes the sensation of movement, of air rushing past, of power in motion. This is no abstract theological concept. The Holy Spirit is the active agent of the Trinity working on earth right now, doing two primary things: drawing people to Jesus and empowering believers to live the abundant life God has designed for them.
John 3:8 captures this beautifully: "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." The wind moves according to its own will, not ours. Our task isn't to control it but to position ourselves to catch it—to align our lives with the movement of God's Spirit.
The Parachute in the Storm
Consider this remarkable story: A small aircraft carrying three passengers experienced complete engine failure while flying over Lake Michigan—miles from shore, thousands of feet in the air. The pilot pulled the emergency parachute, and the plane floated down toward the frigid waters below. When rescue crews finally located them, they discovered something extraordinary. The parachute, still inflated by the strong winds over the lake, was pulling upward on the plane, keeping it from sinking. At the exact moment the wind could no longer hold the plane above water, the rescue boat arrived. All three passengers were saved without a scratch.
Some of us entered this year feeling exactly like that—engine failure, emergency descent, sinking fast. But the wind of God can fill the parachute of your life right now. He can keep you from going under. And at just the right moment, He will lift you out of whatever mess you're in.
The Drift and the Vision
Research tells us that only 8-9% of people actually achieve their New Year's goals. Why such a dismal success rate? Because resolutions focus on behavior modification, but our real issue is a matter of the heart. Proverbs 29:18 reveals the secret: "Where there is no prophetic vision, the people cast off restraint." Without supernatural, Spirit-breathed vision for our lives, we simply drift wherever culture, circumstances, or our feelings take us.
James addresses this tendency directly: "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes" (James 4:13-15).
But James doesn't leave us there. He offers the solution: "Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'"
Instead.
What a powerful word. Instead of drifting, instead of controlling, instead of assuming—ask God what He wants and then do that. Find out what the Lord wills for your life and align yourself with it. This is how you stop drifting. This is how you catch the wind.
The Daily Encounter
Spirit-led vision isn't a one-time event. It requires a daily encounter with the breath of God. Just as someone committed to health might weigh in every day to track progress and maintain accountability, we need a daily connection with the Holy Spirit to maintain our spiritual trajectory.
Paul understood this. He wrote to the Philippians: "I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God through Christ Jesus is calling us" (Philippians 3:13-14).
Notice that Paul says God is calling us. Present tense. Continuous action. Every day, the Spirit is saying, "Come on, let's keep going. This way. Let's keep pursuing holiness. Let's refine this. Let's work on that."
The Questions That Matter
If you want to experience the fullness of what God has for you this year, you need to wrestle with some essential questions:
- What have I been doing that needs to stop?
- What have I not been doing that needs to start?
- Who do I want to be at the end of this year?
Ask God. Listen. And then... Write It Down, Pray It Daily, Share It!
When God speaks vision into your life, Habakkuk 2:2 instructs: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it." Don't try to sound spiritual or eloquent. Just capture what God says. Then pray it daily. And share it with someone who can provide accountability.
Consider four areas where God might be directing you:
- Spiritual development: How will you grow deeper with Him this year?
- Relational areas: Who is He calling you to love, serve, befriend, or forgive?
- Mission and stewardship: Where should you direct your generosity, service, and talents?
- Personal life: What specific things need to stop and start?
The Windshield and the Rearview Mirror
There's a reason your car's windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror. You're meant to look forward, not backward. Some people spend their entire lives contorted, straining to see clearly through that tiny rearview mirror, trying to navigate forward while fixated on the past.
The wind of God wants to fill your sails and propel you forward. But you have to turn around. You have to look through the windshield and ask, "God, where are we going? What's next?"
Time Is Not Infinite. The enemy wants you to believe you have all the time in the world. But the truth is, this year will end. Your life is a mist that appears for a moment and then vanishes. That's not depressing—it's clarifying. When something has limits, it matters. Every day matters. Every decision matters.
Don't waste another year drifting. Open the sails of your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to breathe His direction, His clarity, His power into every area of your existence. Let Him fill you with His wind.
The breath of God is available to you today. Right now. Will you catch it?
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